MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) - An oil and gas company employee was shot dead in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, local police said on Friday.

Alexei Samborsky, an employee of the Ingushneftegazprom company, was killed near an apartment block in the Ingush central city of Karabulak at around 6:25 pm Moscow time (15:25 GMT) on Thursday, a police statement said, adding the unidentified killer escaped from the scene in a VAZ car.

"A criminal case has been opened over the killing. An investigation is underway," the statement said.

According to Rosbalt news website, Samborsky, 38, was detained in August 2008 by authorities for possessing instructions on how to make bombs and a schedule of public transportation in the republic. Samborsky is originally from Kazakhstan.

Russia's North Caucasus republics of Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan have seen an upsurge of violence this year, with frequent attacks on police and officials.